What Entertains You?

“Then our ancestors joined in the worship of Baal at Peor; they even ate sacrifices offered to the dead!”  
Psalm 106:28 (NLT)

God had given clear instructions to Israel in the wilderness when He spoke to Moses in Leviticus 18:2-5 (GW) and said, “Tell the Israelites: I am the LORD your God. You used to live in Egypt. Don't live the way the Egyptians do. I am bringing you to Canaan. Don't live the way the Canaanites do. Never live by their standards. Follow My rules, and live by My standards. I am the LORD your God. Live by My standards, and obey My rules. You will have life through them. I am the LORD.” But the Psalmist records the tragic choice Israel made when they entered the land in Psalm 106:28 (NLT) “Then our ancestors joined in the worship of Baal at Peor; they even ate sacrifices offered to the dead!” What happened?

Before imitating the pagans around them, Israel found themselves entertained by their culture. Sin always begins with an appeal to our fallen nature. John writes a warning in 1 John 2:15-17 (TEV) to beware of what we entertain in our minds and with our eyes. He says, “Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. Everything that belongs to the world—what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of—none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live forever.”

The subtle temptation that ensnares us is when we begin to entertain the things of this world. What’s the harm in that, we think? I’m not doing anything wrong. It’s just entertainment. But when we choose to be entertained by the culture around us, our defenses begin to drop. Soon, we begin to compromise our values and the standards of God’s Word. We’re simply one step from imitating what we’ve entertained. Our sinful self desires what we see. This is how the serpent lured Eve into taking a bite of the forbidden fruit.

James describes the process like this in James 1:14-15 (GW) “Everyone is tempted by his own desires as they lure him away and trap him. Then desire becomes pregnant and gives birth to sin. When sin grows up, it gives birth to death.”  The warning is clear. Be careful what you entertain. The Psalmist made this commitment in Psalm 101:4 (MLB), “A perverse nature shall be absent from me; I will not entertain evil.” If I want to avoid a perverse nature, I must not entertain evil.

This would be a good time to examine ourselves and review what we’ve chosen to entertain us. Is it holy? Is it pure? Is it good? Is it true? Does it strengthen or weaken your faith? Will it lead you closer to Christ or cause you to drift? I love the way The Message puts it in Philippians 4:8, “Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

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Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.

Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.